2015-16
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| Moooo, to all my Iowa Friends, miss you all |
North Grosvenordale Connecticut
a side trip to Rhode Island
Massachusetts, just driving thru
Concord New Hampshire
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West Thompson Lake COE
gyspy moth caterpillars have eaten all the leaves
off the trees |
Campground: West Thompson Lake –
COE, $15 senior rate. 30 amp elec./water. A few over-the-air tv
stations. Wooded campsites, beautifully raked and clean campsites. Mid week, one of the camp hosts came onto my site, early evening, to brush off my picnic table. I was inside the camper and seeing someone out of the corner of my eye on my campsite scared the crap out of me.
Campground: Epsom Valley Campground.
Epsom NH. $21 PPA discount rate. Full hookups, 30 amp. Rustic
looking park, pine trees, restroom/showers/small laundry room. Odd,
the last couple campsites, I can get about 10 Tv stations, but none
are ABC/NBC/CBS.... very odd.
Distance traveled: 39 miles
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| Foxwoods Resort Casino |
My last day at Foxwoods Resort Casino,
I went over to the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center.
It's a centerpiece of the native Indian tribes culture and history.
The displays going back to the ice ages on up to the present are some
of the best displays I've seen in any museum. No money was spared to
create each venue. From descending into an ice cave, the recreation
of a caribou hunt to a full immersion into an Indian village. It's
amazing what can be created with enough money coming in from a large
Casino resort. Before I left the museum I asked about the Indian
tribe and how many members are a part of it. After reacquiring the
tribal reservation lands, as so many of the original members had
moved off the land to find work, they were able to gradually get many
of the tribes members reestablished. Now consisting of around 990
members. Not all tribe members live on tribal land. The tribe
elders have closed the tribe and will not permit any other Indian
claims that might be out there. Only children born to certified
tribe members will be added to the membership roster.
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| an 18 story elevator tower with viewing area on top |
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| the manikins are so life like |
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escalator takes the visitor down to the
1st level, The Ice Age.... |
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| Only 950+ tribe members remain |
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| bringing the tribe members back home |
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| impressive museum |
The wealth being generated by the
casino must be enormous.
But I've moved on from my parking lot
Rv site at the casino up to the NE corner of Connecticut, for a few
more days before heading into New Hampshire.
And it's time to do a few chores that
need to be done whether I'm on the road or not. In between all that
touring, here are just a few of the things that keep me busy.
Fixing a squeak in the cabinet
holding the fireplace. When I would walk out onto the slideout
containing the fireplace/entertainment unit and dining room, an
annoying squeak sound would come from the unit and the wall. I was
able to separate the unit from the wall, a couple toothpicks would
keep the space open long enough to fill with some silicone sealer
providing a cushion. No more squeak.
One of the large mudflaps on the
back of the truck was about to fall off. I re-secured it with a few
screws and washers.
A side table between the two
recliner tables keeps loosening up with all the travel movement
while going down the road. Reworking the bolts and screws that keep
it together along with more of that silicone sealer to hold them in
place so they can't work themselves loose again should do the trick.
I hope.
After arriving at the new campsite
on a Sunday no less, I was able to go into a quaint little town for
a visit with the Urgent Care facility. Housed in a lovely house,
it's open in this small rural town 7 days a week. I had been
concerned over a possible bug bite. Could it be a tick bite? No,
it was probably a spider bite this time. And I needed to get some
prescriptions refilled. The Doctor was most accommodating and gave
me a prescription for my regular meds along with one in-case I do
actually get a serious tick bite. It's important to take the meds
as soon as a tick bite has been confirmed to reduce the potentially
deadly results.
Get the oil/filter changed in the
truck
Get prescription filled
Wash camper and truck
Fix the new wireless printer.
Will not work with the laptop. I'm completely at a loss as to why
it won't communicate wirelessly between the printer and laptop.
After a couple frustrating hours, I finally found a suitable cable
and connected them that way,,,, forget wireless communications,
$%%#@*()!!!!
Of course I always try to keep to the
retirees motto “one chore a day” but I might need to do two in
one day since the list has grown over the last couple of weeks and
I've only gotten to a couple in between all my travels and tours.
In this area of NE Connecticut the
gypsy moth are at the end of their caterpillar stage. Thousands of
the little buggers have eaten all the leaves off of many of the
trees, especially here in the campground. It looks like an eternal
spring time with the trees just barely covered in leaves.
Experiments are being made using a fungal growth on trees that kills
the caterpillar. With a dry spring, it hasn't grown and killed the
caterpillar like they would hope for. Caterpillar poop rains down
from all the trees and it's expected that the leaves will come back
out on the trees after the caterpillar goes into it's cocoon stage or just die off.
Newport Rhode Island
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The Breakers "Cottage"
from the Gilded Age |
From my campsite in the NE corner of
Connecticut, I drove over to Newport Rhode Island. That's where all
the
gilded age “cottages” of the wealthy are located. The local
preservation society owns and operates 9 of the grand houses and all
are available on tour. Remember last week when I visited Samuel
Clemens home in Hartford Connecticut. He is the one that coined the
term “the Gilded Age” and he was not being kind when he used the
term. As he thought it a disgrace to flaunt all that wealth and
waste in on such things as these grand homes. Which I might add were
only used for approximately 6 weeks out of each summer.
It's hard to imagine spending all that
money just to have a summer place to entertain other wealthy friends.
Each home would have had as many as 40 servants to take care of the
family and guests and maintain the homes for those 6 weeks in the
summer. I visited the grandest of them all,
the Breakers as well as
The Elms.
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| The Breakers, main Hall |
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| Grotto under main staircase |
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| main entrance Hall |
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| The Breakers Main dining room |
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| Breakers, dining room detail |
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| loggia overlooking Atlantic Ocean |
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| The Breakers |
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| The Breakers, music room |
The Breakers was the Cornelius
Vanderbilt (summer home) mansion, one of a few the family built here
in Newport. The
Breakers was built in 1893 the architect was Richard
Morris Hunt. 70 rooms on 5 floors and the house covers approximately
one acre of the 14 acre estate overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. After
Cornelius's death only a few years later, his wife Alice who would
outlive him another 35 years. She gifted the house to their youngest
daughter, Gladys, mainly because she had no property in America.
Having married and become the Countess Gladys Szechenyi. Back then,
the wealthy industrialist having money, but no titles, often had
their daughters marry into European royalty. After selling the
property to the preservation society, Gladys's family still have the
right to use the house anytime they are in the area. The third floor
apartments are closed off to the public and are for their use
exclusively.
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| second floor bedrooms with hidden doors |
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| the Breakers |
I had purchased a ticket to see two of
the homes and could have also visited more if I had the time and
energy. The other home I visited was the Elms Mansion. It was
originally built for a wealthy coal magnet. Having only 7 bedrooms,
but as many as 40 servants, they also owned a few other homes to
accommodate guests if needed. It is all so overdone and over the top. Hard to imagine living like this.
Today, the wealthy still gravitate to New Port, as I drove past many other large mansions occupied by the wealthy with their perfectly manicured hedges, lawns behind massive iron gates. Even Larry Ellison of Oracle purchased the former Astor's Beechwood mansion. After restoration is complete, it will be used as a non-profit art museum. Ellison will use the second floor as his personal apartments. Though the public will be able to view artwork he has collected on both the main floor and second private floors when not in residence. The mansions rooms will provide the proper backdrop for his art collection.
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| The Elms, Main entrance |
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| The Elms, office |
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| The Elms, living room |
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| imported from Europe |
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| the conservator, The Elms |
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| Conservatory, the Elms |
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| The Elms, extensive gardens |
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| The Elms, dining room, very handsome |
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| the Elms, breakfast room, oriental motif |
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many of the mansions had a two story
butlers pantry, dishware on second
floor and a safe to store the siverware |
Distance Traveled: 117 miles
From Connecticut through Massachusetts
and into New Hampshire. It took about an hour and half to travel
through Massachusetts before entering New Hampshire. My Google maps
continues to welcome me as I cross into each new state. The new
England states are much smaller and it doesn't take much to travel
through them.
Before I headed out I had one of those
Not-Happy-Camper moments. I decided I'd head out to McDonald's for
coffee and a quick breakfast. When I got back to the campground, the
entrance gate was still locked. It was a couple minutes past 8 am
and I thought for sure it would be open. One of the two camp hosts
was working on his camper, each of which flank the front entrance.
He refused to open the gate until 9 am. Said it was their rules, and
couldn't open it. I drove over to the park office, where 4 park
rangers sat. They all refused to open the gate Said “Sorry you
should have been warned, we keep it locked during quite hours. We
can't have people coming and going disturbing the campers.” But
I'm a camper. Aren't you supposed to be accommodating me. Wouldn't
budge. Finally drove back to the entrance and sat in my truck for
about 15 minutes in front of the locked gate. Finally, the camp host
took pity on me and opened the gate.
First time in 13 years I've ever been
locked out of a campground. Most campgrounds, if they have a locked
gate at night will give you a combination to open the gate after
hours.
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a fine new carpet to
keep out the mud and dirt |
I'll be here at Epsom Valley Campground
over the 4th of July Holiday. Though they are celebrating
Christmas in July this weekend, not the 4th of July.
Christmas decorations are going up throughout the park. I'm not
planning on many adventures, as the traffic could be daunting with
the holiday. Listening to the local radio today around 3:00, the
announcer said that I-95 was backed up heading north through New
Hampshire the entire distance through the state. Everyone heading
towards Maine for the long holiday weekend.
My timing is back on track. Once I got
to my campsite, part of which is just a soggy dirt patch where I come
out of the camper. Fortunately, just down the road is a Camping
World and I was able to purchase a really nice long outdoor carpet.
With some rain in the forecast, this will help greatly to keep the
mud and dirt at bay.
more photos:
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